


How to Pick Out a Tree and Get Some Sweet Booty in the Process

by leftennant



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Wintershock - Fandom
Genre: Christmas Smut, Christmas fic, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-09 18:19:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5550578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leftennant/pseuds/leftennant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy is trying really, really hard to ignore the fact that she's fallen for her best friend.  Not that Bucky is making it easy.  Why did he volunteer to pick out a Christmas tree with her anyway?  It's fine.  Darcy can do this.  She just needs to get the tree, get out, and not bang him under the Fraser firs.  It should be easy, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	How to Pick Out a Tree and Get Some Sweet Booty in the Process

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AnnieMar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnieMar/gifts).



> I promised Anniemar Wintershock Christmas fic. Technically I'm a couple days late on that. Hopefully the rampant smut will make up for not delivering on Christmas. ;)
> 
> For those of you waiting on the next chapter of Three Weeks, we'll be back to our regularly scheduled road trip shortly. I just took a little detour here to get this one done. 
> 
> xox - Lefty
> 
> *********************************************************

“What about this one?” Bucky asked.

Darcy turned to see him holding out a branch on a small pine tree. She eyed the tree critically. 

“Nope. I’m not feeling it.”

“Doll, you haven’t felt the past thirty-five trees. I’m beginning to think what you’re looking for doesn’t exist.”

“Nobody forced you to come along, Barnes. In fact, I remember saying that I’d do this myself, and you insisted on helping,” Darcy said.

They were standing in the middle of a tree farm a few miles from the Avengers facility in upstate New York. Despite her reply, she was beginning to wonder if maybe Bucky had a point. Darcy’s plan to get the perfect Christmas tree for the holiday party she was throwing had begun to seem like an impossible task even to her. She started trudging up the row of blue spruces again with a sigh. Judging by the sound of snow crunching behind her, Bucky was following.

She wasn’t exactly sure why he’d decided to come along. They’d developed a close friendship over the past six months that initially stemmed from both of them ending up in the common room late at night scavenging for food, and watching classic movies on TV. Eventually they moved from the common room to either his place or hers, and scavenging turned into one of them supplying the snacks. They were currently halfway through His Girl Friday - Bucky’s pick - and Darcy was planning on making hot chocolate and salted whisky caramels for them when they got back.

None of this explained why he was trailing around after her while she picked out a tree, however. It wasn’t like she needed him to carry it. They had employees at the farm who would cut the tree down and haul it to your car for you. Not that she minded the company...especially _his_ company.

That was actually part of the problem. Darcy’s growing interest in having Bucky around wasn’t something she was ready to address. She glanced back at him, and immediately wished she hadn’t. He was wearing jeans with a thick navy blue coat, and this dorky cabbie hat that she secretly loved on him. A scarf filled the space between the collar of the coat and his face, and above it his cheeks were pink from the cold.

In other words, he looked really, really good, and Darcy was trying hard not to notice that, or examine why she was so affected by the fact that he’d decided to shave for their stupid trip to the tree farm. Exploring these thoughts would be a bad idea. A friendship ruining idea. They had a good thing going at the moment. There was banter, and food, and Cary Grant. Why spoil that? Besides, he’d had plenty of chances to make a move on her, and he hadn’t once tried. That pretty much said it all, didn’t it?

So she was going to pick out a damn tree, and pretend that she didn’t want to tackle him into the nearest snowbank. If she could find a tree. That was debatable at the moment.

“Hey, Lewis.”

She stopped and turned around. “What?”

“Over there.” Bucky gestured between a break in the trees with a gloved hand, and Darcy walked over to see what he was pointing at.

It was the most beautiful Fraser fir she had ever seen, perfect, and full, and way too big for her apartment, but whatever. She’d cross that bridge when she came it. Squeezing through the gap in the branches, Darcy marched over to stake her claim. 

“Bucky Barnes you are a genius,” she said, tying a ribbon on it. “Is it possible to fall in love with a tree? Because I’m considering proposing to this one.”

He joined her next to the tree, and rubbed his hand over his jaw. “It’s bigger than I thought. You think it will fit in your place?”

“Dude, I will knock down a wall if I have to. Trust me. This tree is coming home with us.”

“Okay,” Bucky replied. 

He dropped the bag that had been slung over his shoulder to the ground, and unzipped it. Darcy watched in amazement as he neatly unloaded the array of things that had been inside on a patch of bare ground. 

“Is that… Did you bring your own ax? And ropes? And...what is that thing?”

“A digital level,” he said, tucking it back into the bag. We won’t need it until later.”

A level. For a Christmas tree. Clearly Bucky took his holiday decorating very seriously. Who knew?

“You know they’ll cut the tree down for us, right?” she told him. “We don’t need to… Oookay. Nevermind, there, George Washington. Do what you have to do.”

Bucky had started chopping the tree down as she was speaking, and he looked up at her with one side of his mouth twitching suspiciously. “Wrong president.”

“I walked right into that, didn’t I?” she grumbled.

He didn’t answer, just continued felling the tree. One thing she could say, was that it went a lot more quickly than if they had gone and gotten one of the tree farm people. Or was it tree farm personnel? Whatever. The point was that Bucky was way better at cutting trees down than they were. He had it almost done with a few good whacks at the trunk. 

Fifteen minutes later and the tree was tied up and ready to go. He wiped all the tools off with a towel from the bag, and returned them to the inside. Then he hefted the tree up onto his shoulder with a grunt, and said, “Ready?”

Darcy just stared at him, tree over his shoulder like some kind of sexy urban lumberjack, and decided it was probably best if she found something else to look at immediately. Which she was absolutely going to do as soon as she could form enough coherent thought to get the message from her brain to her eyes. Damn he was hot. Like, epic levels, dude from another time period hot, and oh God, he had just caught her staring. Hahahaha, she hated everything.

“You alright, Lewis?” Bucky asked, shifting the tree to balance out the weight.

When Darcy replied her voice was way chirpier than she intended, which just increased her current hatred of everything. “Me? I’m fine. Why?”

“No reason,” he said slowly. She’d obviously set off his bullshit-ometer, because his eyes were narrowed, and one eyebrow was cocked. Crap.

“We should totally get this tree back to headquarters before it dries out. Don’t you think?” Aaaand she was still chirpy. Fantastic. Maybe somewhere between here and the register down at the barn, the ground would open up and swallow her. If she was lucky.

She wasn’t lucky. However, there was a silver lining. It turned out that picking one of the more expensive trees meant that her purchase came along with a free kissing ball. The kid at the register set it inside a box for her to carry, Bucky shouldered the tree again, and they secured both inside the back of the truck she’d borrowed from Clint. 

The ride home went smoother than the time at the tree farm. Darcy was too preoccupied with keeping them on the icy roads to notice Bucky much, and for his part, he spent the entire time focused on the view out his window with a thoughtful look on his face. She tried not to ruminate on what the thoughtful look might be about, but she did half expect him to bolt the minute they got back.

To her surprise, he just got the tree and wordlessly headed into the building with her. Once they got it inside, it started to look bigger, and by the time they actually got to the residential side of the facility Darcy had become fairly certain that she really _was_ going to have to knock down a wall if she wanted it to fit in her apartment.

“You sure we shouldn’t have made a left at Buffalo and taken this thing straight to Rockefeller Center?” Bucky asked as she was unlocking her door.

“Excuse me, but you were the one who found it,” Darcy replied. “I never would have seen it if you hadn’t pointed it out.”

“I shoulda kept my mouth shut.” He wrestled the fir through the entryway, and into her apartment. “Where do you want it?”

Even tied up it looked enormous in her living room. Not that she was going to say that to him. Her honor and that of the tree was at stake. 

“Um…” she said, glancing around for a place to put it where it wouldn’t knock over the furniture. “...put it in the corner.”

Darcy waved vaguely at the far side of the room and Bucky cracked a grin. “The corner, huh? It’s gonna punch a hole through the wall, Lewis. Possibly the ceiling too.”

He was right. Obviously. However she was in full Do Not Concede Defeat mode at this point. Darcy chewed on her bottom lip, as she considered moving the furniture around in a way that would make enough space. 

Maybe she could rent a storage unit. For the couch. And the coffee table. And...everything else. Did people really need to sit at the party? Maybe she could bring in blankets and call it a Christmas Picnic. 

“Darce?”

She paused in her Christmas Picnic planning to respond. “Hmm?”

“Do you really love this tree?”

Darcy sighed. “Yep.”

“No other tree will do?”

Another sigh, louder this time. “Nope.”

Bucky nodded. “Do you trust me?”

She looked at him standing there with the ridiculous, oversized tree, watching her with raised eyebrows as he waited for her reply. Of course she trusted him. Implicitly, in fact. And when had that happened? Oh God. It was way more serious than just finding him attractive, or having a buddy crush, wasn’t it? 

She’d fallen for Bucky. Hard. And because it had happened so gradually, Darcy hadn’t even realized it until it was too late. Falling in love with your best friend was probably not the best idea under normal circumstances. Falling in love with your best friend while living in the same building with them where you had to see them every day and hide how you felt on a full time basis was going to be a nightmare.

Fuck.

Okay. Darcy could handle this. The important thing to keep in mind was that he didn’t know, and he wouldn’t know unless she told him, which she had no intention of doing. Also it would probably be best if she answered his question which he had asked like...five minutes ago. 

“Of course I trust you. I mean, you know where I keep the expensive coffee so we don’t have to drink that crap they serve in the common room, right?”

There. Good. She totally didn’t tell him how she felt about him. So why was he giving her that thoughtful look again? 

“Alright. I’ll be back in half an hour,” Bucky said. 

He manhandled the tree back out of her apartment. Once the door clicked shut behind him, Darcy kicked off her boots, put on some Christmas music, and got out the ingredients for the hot chocolate and caramels. It was basically just a distraction to keep her from thinking about Bucky. Keeping caramel from burning was absorbing enough that it pushed other thoughts out of her head. Mostly.

She was just pouring the first batch into a baking pan to cool when the door opened again and Bucky came in with her tree, which was now a much more manageable size. It was still spectacular, though. She had zero idea what kind of miracle he’d worked, but Darcy was pretty sure she’d be forever grateful. 

It seemed that Bucky had guessed what she was thinking, because he looked over at her shook his head as he dragged it across the room. “Don’t ask. It’s better if you don’t know.”

The door opened again and Natasha popped her head in. From where Darcy was standing at the stove, she could see the fresh powder on Nat’s coat. 

“Hey. You owe me, Barnes. I expect payment in full by tomorrow,” she said, before waving to Darcy and closing the door again.

Ten seconds later the door opened again, and Vision’s face appeared. “Do you require further assistance, Sergeant Barnes?”

“Nah. I’m good,” Bucky replied, and Vision nodded.

Darcy turned to Bucky the minute the door was shut for the second time. “Um, Bucky? What exactly did you let Natasha and Super Jarvis do to my tree?”

“You don’t have the clearances for me to answer that,” he replied absently while fitting the trunk into the stand. “This thing straight enough or do you want me to get the level?”

“Ummmm...it’s leaning a little to the right. What kind of payment?”

Bucky adjusted the tree. “Probably best not to ask about that either. How about now?”

“Totally vertical. Want to try these?” She tipped the pan at him so he could see the thick sheet of caramel inside. “They’re still a little warm, but I think I could cut a corner out.”

“Yeah. Let me just put some water in here.”

He shrugged out of his coat as he crossed the room, tossing it along with his scarf and gloves onto one of the chairs. It was a testament to how much time Bucky spent over at her place that he knew just where she kept her pitchers. Darcy cut the sticky piece of candy out of the tray while he filled one up at the sink, and then added the water to the tree stand. Once he returned to set the pitcher upside down in the draining board, Darcy was ready with the caramel.

“Here,” she said, holding it out to him. 

Bucky glanced down at her outstretched hand. Then he grabbed it, bringing it up to his lips so he could take the little bite of salty sweet candy with his mouth. 

“Thanks, doll,” he said, smirking at her while he chewed. “Mmm, delicious.”

Then he turned and went back to the tree, _whistling_ along with the carol playing over the speakers while Darcy stood there completely stunned with blood flooding her cheeks. 

She kind of hated him. You know. Along with hating everything else. Flirty, geriatric asshole with his stupid, adorable face, and insane thighs of steel. Maybe he’d electrocute his smug self while he was hanging the lights.

Of course he didn’t, and Darcy just finished up the candy while Bucky strung the mismatched strands of lights all over the tree. 

“You really want the big ones mixed with the little ones?” he asked. 

“Yep. Don’t worry. It all works out in the end.”

He looked at the remainder of tangled wire in his hand doubtfully. “If you say so.”

“I do. Oh.” Her eyes had strayed to the cardboard box containing the kissing ball. “Can you hang the mistletoe thing for me? I can’t reach.”

Bucky plugged the lights in, and brushed his hands off on the front of his jeans. “Sure. Where do you want it?”

“Ummmmm…” Darcy propped her hands on her hips, scanning the ceiling for a strategic spot. “What about over by the door?”

“You got a stepstool?” he asked.

“In the hall closet.”

With a nod, Bucky went off to get the stepstool. Darcy poured the second batch of caramels into a pan to cool, and started on the hot chocolate. 

“Which marshmallows do you want?” she called down the hall. “Jet Puffed or the good ones?”

“I thought you were saving the good ones for the party,” he said as he walked back in the room.

“Nobody is going to miss two,” Darcy replied. 

“The good ones then.”

She went to get them out of her little walk-in pantry, and when she returned he was already up on the ladder with a drill. 

Where the hell had he gotten a drill? Was it from the same bag as the ax? Did he just carry power tools around with him on the regular and she never knew it? Had he just pulled a hook out of his pocket? Was that in the bag too? It was kind of amazing. Darcy had never been that prepared in her entire life.

Bucky screwed the hook neatly into the tiny hole he’d made in the ceiling, and hung the kissing ball from it. Then he looked at her expectantly. “Well?”

“Looks good,” she said.

“You know, Lewis, you don’t get the full effect unless you come over here.”

“What if the chocolate scorches?”

He shrugged, and stepped off the ladder. “I’ll risk it.”

She set the spoon in the ceramic rest, and walked over to where he was. “See? It’s fine. Very pretty and kissy or whatever.”

“You sure it’s centered?” Bucky asked.

Darcy was fairly certain it was dead center, but she humored him, stepping up onto the ladder under the sphere of greens and mistletoe to check. “Uh, yep. It’s perfect.”

“Huh. I guess it is,” Bucky said, but he wasn’t looking at the kissing ball. Nope. His eyes were firmly fixed on her face. More specifically, on her lips.

She’d been tricked. She’d been tricked, and it was possibly the best fucking prank anyone had ever played on her in her life. Darcy’s heart started racing in her chest. 

“Caught ya,” he said softly. 

“You did.” Her mouth went dry at the heat in his gaze, and she swallowed. “Are you sure?”

It was every single one of her insecurities about what was happening between them wrapped up in one question. Did he know what this would mean to her? Would it mean the same thing to him? Holy fuck, the look in his eyes was wrecking her. She could barely breathe.

Bucky answered with a long, slow smile. “I’m standing under the mistletoe asking the girl I’m in love with to kiss me. So yeah, Darcy, I’m sure.”

It’s weird what crosses your mind when the object of your affection admits they’re in love with you. Darcy was struck with a sudden thought that sometimes Christmas angels sound just like the Raveonettes. Although, technically that’s what was coming through the speakers at the moment. 

Also, the chocolate was so totally going to burn, and she couldn’t care less.

“Me too,” she said quickly. “I’m...you know...the thing you said. Only backwards.”

Well. That was fucking eloquent. Darcy made a mental note to visit medical later and ask if her verbal skills could be upgraded in that cradle thing. Despite her mess of words, Bucky seemed to get the message. 

He took a step closer. “So, are we gonna do something about it then...or just stand here. Talking.”

She leaned in, licking her lips. “Shut up, Bucky.”

“Why don’t you shut me up, doll?”

They were so close now that it was impossible to see the teasing grin on his face, but Darcy could read it in his eyes. It was all she needed to make the leap and close the last, tiny bit of distance between them. Bucky’s mouth slanted against hers, lips warm and firm. His arms wound around her, coaxing her closer, and sending electricity sparking over her skin. 

In the back of her mind Darcy had a brief second of knowing that this had been building since the first time they met. This was _everything_. How had she ever thought she’d be content with less? Then her lips were parting under Bucky’s, and she tasted salty-sweet caramel on his tongue as it stroked along hers.

Things got a little crazy after that. Darcy wasn’t exactly sure how it all went down, but one moment she was standing on a ladder, and the next Bucky was supporting her with her legs wrapped around his waist. Not that she was complaining. Even when they bumped into the wall, which happened twice on their way to the kitchen. 

Halfway to the kitchen island Bucky somehow managed to get her shirt unbuttoned and off with one hand, while carrying her weight with the other. Darcy unclasped her bra, and it ended up on the coffeemaker while Bucky was blindly using his left hand to shut off the burner on the stove. 

“Bedroom?” he asked, pulling away long enough to get the words out.

“Too far,” she responded. “Counter?”

“Couch?”

“Better.”

She moved back in to kiss him, tugging on his bottom lip with her teeth. They got his shirt off midway through the living room. Then disaster struck. In the only non-graceful move Darcy had ever seen Bucky make since she met him, he tripped over the edge of the coffee table. For a second she thought they’d be okay. He seemed to recover his balance. However, Bucky had forgotten about the boxes of decorations, and wasn’t able to fully correct in the tight space. They both went over, Bucky taking the brunt of it with Darcy clasped protectively to his chest.

They landed hard just in front of the Christmas tree. He wasn't moving. She popped up, hovering over him with worry etched on her face. 

“Oh my God,” she said, looking down at his closed eyes. “Bucky? Please don’t be unconscious.”

His eyes didn’t open, but his lips curled up into a mischievous grin. “I don’t know, Lewis. I think I might need mouth to mouth.”

Darcy sighed in relief. “You’re an ass. Seriously.”

“Yeah well, you’re gorgeous,” he said, blinking his eyes open, and hitting her with a frankly appreciative gaze. “Look at you. How could I resist?”

“Are you really okay?”

“Other than a raging hardon, yeah, Darcy. I’m fine.”

“Raging, huh?” She reached back to palm him through his jeans. He wasn’t lying. _Holy shit_ , that was impressive.

Bucky bit his lip, grinding up into her hand. “We still doing this?”

“What, sex in front of the Christmas tree? I think so. Unless you changed your mind.”

“Not remotely.” He started to reel her in again, and then paused. “Darcy do we need anything? Because I didn’t think… I don’t have…”

“Bucky, I’ve been on birth control since I was fourteen,” Darcy said. “I think we’re covered.”

“Yeah?”

“Have you been banging anyone else for the past six months?” she asked.

“You know I haven’t. I spend all my free time with you.”

“Same here. We’re monogamous as fuck, dude, we just weren’t having sex yet.”

“Goddamn, I love the way you think,” Bucky said. 

“And here I thought you were in it for my tits.”

Bucky glanced at her chest, and then back up at her face. “They’re a close second.” 

“I think you’re trying to get laid, Barnes,” Darcy replied.

“Is it working?”

“I don’t know. You’ll have to get the rest of my clothes off and see.”

He threw his head back and laughed, eyes crinkling at the corners in the way she loved. “Darcy Lewis. Where the hell have you been all my life?”

“Not born for most of it,” she said. “But I’m here now.”

“Yes you are. Lucky, lucky me.” 

“Pretty sure I’m the lucky one,” Darcy told him, sliding her palms down the muscular planes of his chest.

“We’re gonna have to agree to disagree then,” he said. “What was that you said about getting the rest of your clothes off?”

“I think you heard me,” Darcy responded. 

“You do, huh? Well let’s see if I heard you correctly.” Bucky sat up, trailing a series of nipping kisses across her collar bones. He moved lower then, lips grazing over the tops of her breasts. One hand slipped between them, flicking open the button on her jeans. “Am I getting close?”

“I’m not sure. Keep going.”

Bucky flipped them over so he could begin working them down her legs while his tongue traced a circle around one nipple. “How about now?”

“You’re, um…catching on,” she said with a shaky little intake of breath.

“Hmmm.” He tossed the jeans onto the couch, and switched to the other breast, fingers hooked in the waistband of her lacy boyshorts. “What about these?”

“Those too.”

They joined her jeans on the couch, and Bucky made his way slowly down her body, hands spreading her legs apart as his head dipped to kiss her stomach. Darcy pushed up on her elbows just as he settled between her legs. He looked up at her, one hand sliding up her leg to tease her open with his fingers. 

“Can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to do this” Bucky said. “Too long.”

She could feel his hot breath blowing over her as he spoke. Then he inclined his head so he could kiss her clit, and Darcy’s head dropped back on the floor. Bucky took his time, learning her body, and finding all the little things that made her tick. He alternated techniques, switching out fast, little licks, with broad slow ones, or sucking gently on her clit. By the time he’d gotten a definite pattern going, Darcy was a quivering mess. She reached down, seeking out his hand, and he took it, fingers twining with hers. 

“Bucky,” she gasped.

“I gotcha, Darce,” he said, slipping a finger into her. She ground against his hand shamelessly, and he chuckled. “Good, huh?”

Another finger followed the first, lazily pumping in and out with a little curling motion at the end. Bucky returned his mouth to her clit, swirling his tongue firmly across it, and her body lifted off the floor. His lips closed over it, tongue flicking one last time, and Darcy’s whole world lit up. Her hand clutched his tightly as her hips rose and fell with each wave of sensation. It was one of the most intense orgasms of her entire life, and by the end of it all she could do was lie back and try to catch her breath.

He crawled back on top of her, weight supported on his arms. “Still with me?”

“You should take your pants off,” she said. 

“That a fact?”

“Or I could do it. Both work.”

“I got it.” He rolled off her for a second, and when he rolled back his remaining clothes were in a pile with hers.

“Mmm.” Darcy reached down to lazily encircle his erection with her fingers. It was thick, and hot in her hand. “This was so worth waiting six months for.”

Bucky swore under his breath, eyes fluttering shut as she stroked him. “You aren’t lying.”

After a few more deliberate strokes she shifted her hips, positioning him at her entrance. His gaze met hers as he slowly pushed inside. The stretch was fucking delicious. She tightened her muscles around him, and Bucky shook in her arms. 

“Darcy,” he murmured. “Jesus, Darce.” 

He pulled back and thrust forward again. The next time he did it, she rolled her hips along with him, and he hissed. They moved together, finding a rhythm. Quiet gasps turned into moans. He kissed her lips, her jaw, the curved line of her neck. Normally it took Darcy a little longer to reboot. Especially from a climax as insane as the one she’d had earlier, but she could feel the tension starting to simmer again under Bucky’s slow burn lovemaking. 

The song switched over the stereo, Cat Power’s version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas filling the room. Above them the lights twinkled brightly on the tree, and the spicy scent of pine, chocolate, and caramel flooded Darcy’s senses every time she took a breath. 

It was perfect.

Then his hand skimmed down her side, catching her under the knee so he could change the angle of his thrusts. She gasped, body curving up as he hit her just right. Bucky caught on immediately, working his body against hers in a slow grind.

“That… That’s so good,” Darcy said. “You’re gonna make me… Fucking _fuck_ , Bucky.”

“I kinda love how filthy your mouth is. Have I ever told you that? What it does to me when you say fuck? How hard it makes me? Had to leave the room a couple of times, just to keep you from noticing.”

“Where’d you go?” she asked between gasps, as he rubbed over her clit again and again.

“My place, in the shower. Ask me how many times I pictured this while I fucked my hand.”

“How…. How many?”

“Almost every goddamn day, doll,” he said. “You even got me a couple of times on missions. I thought about you, fluttering around me, so fucking tight, just the way you are right now.”

“So close,” Darcy whimpered.

Bucky bent his head, lips brushing the shell of her ear. “Me too. Gonna finish inside you, Darce. That what you want? ‘Cause it’s all I can think about right now.”

That was it. She came hard enough that her vision whited out, and there was nothing else but the feel of Bucky’s body as he rocked into her, chasing his own release. Darcy heard a soft whisper of her name on his lips. He stroked deep, momentum stuttering into a single, forceful thrust as he emptied into her with his arms shaking on either side of her, and his forehead pressed to hers.

Bucky carefully lowered himself onto her, keeping the bulk of his weight supported on his elbows. His head was tucked into the crook of her neck, and Darcy could feel the press of his lips on her skin. She ran her hands down his back, smiling at the contented sound he made.

“So, this wasn’t what I was expecting when you offered to help me pick out a tree,” she said.

His chest rumbled as he laughed. “Me neither, but I thought maybe I’d try my luck when I saw the way you were looking at me at the tree farm.”

“How was I looking at you?”

“Like you were trying not to rip my clothes off in public. It’s the kind of thing that gives a guy hope...and ideas.”

“I couldn't help it,” Darcy replied “You were running around with a tree you chopped down yourself over your shoulder, and being super sexy with your stupid level.”

He pushed himself up, face registering disbelief. “The level?”

“I might have a tool usage thing, okay? You were just all, I don’t know...capable or whatever. So sue me. It was hot. And okay, fine, I might have been in love with you and didn’t realize it until this afternoon while you were outside with Natasha and Vision doing God only knows what to make the damn tree fit in here.”

“I love you,” Bucky said, dropping a kiss on her lips. “And I love every single crazy thing that comes out of that beautiful mouth of yours too.”

A knock on the door interrupted them, and they both froze.

“Not for nothing, Agent Skywalker, but I’m expecting more than just a case of beer on poker night if my help with that tree got you laid.”

“Is that Tony?” Darcy sputtered. “You let _Tony_ touch my tree?”

“You know Friday has the capability to amplify your voices for me, right?” Stark called through the door. “Beer and cigars, Skywalker. And not the cheap ones.”

“We’re breaking up,” Darcy said after she was sure Tony was gone.

“No we’re not,” Bucky replied. 

“Okay, we’re not, but Tony is not allowed within one hundred feet of any future Christmas trees we pick out.”

“Deal.”

“Hey Bucky, have you ever had hot chocolate in bed?”

He shook his head. “Can't say that I have.”

She smiled and brushed a strand of hair out of his face. “Want to?”

“Does it come with a naked dame?”

“You bet it does,” Darcy said.

“I’m in.”

It was the start of a new Christmas tradition. Salted whisky caramels, hot chocolate in bed, and no Tony within a hundred feet of the tree. He’s still complaining about that.


End file.
